Beads of sweat slowly dribbled off Ri's forehead and neck, onto the sheets of the bed her body slept on. She was having an intense, lucid dream that seemed real. In it was the Conqueror with pure, long, raven hair. Her appearance was youthful and she was stunningly attractive, wearing a brown battle dress that had bronze armor covering it. She wore dark-brown boots with intricate designed gauntlets on her wrists, and bracelets on her upper arms.

The Conqueror held a sword in her hand and the hooped weapon clipped to her right hip, but it looked different than the one she usually equipped. She was on the deck of a gigantic ship, preparing to fight against warriors whom used carved blades and had the facial features similar to Akemi's ancestral homeland.

The entire scene was mute when the Conqueror gave the sword a couple of twirls before engaging one of the men. She made short work of him by sweeping his feet so he'd fall down. The second warrior jumped in the fray, swinging his sword towards her neck, but the Conqueror impeded it and swirled both their locked blades together, until the man let his loose. After he was disarmed, the sable-haired woman did a jump kick, knocking him out.

A third stepped up to the challenge and the young Conqueror feinted a right swipe with her weapon to his abdomen. As the challenger went to block it with his sword, she roundhouse kicked him on the left side of his temple. He somehow managed not to fall, nevertheless, the force of the blow did make him spin. While his back was to her, she humiliatingly smacked him hard on the rear with the flat part of her sword. When he spun to face her, she hit him with a left hook, making him finally swivel in midair onto the floorboards. The Conqueror grinned and yelled out something, causing all the unbeaten warriors to attack her at once.

Suddenly, the scenario changed with the Conqueror still standing on the deck as the victor, while all the men that was her opponents laid on their backs, writhing in pain. Another warrior adorned in blue armor and a helmet that concealed his identity, stood alone to face her. He had a long pole on his back that he chose to attack with. A wide smile graced the Conqueror's lips and she sheathed her blade, equipping herself with the circularized weapon instead, holding it by the bar that ran from the middle of it. A brief moment passed, then the two combatants charged each other.

Next, the scene was altered again and showed Ri with short hair the color of white gold. The towhead was dressed in a sky blue robe, not unlike the kind Akemi wore once in a while. In a large room that had an assortment of weapons, she stood in an open space for sparring, wielding an identical curved blade like the men that assailed the Conqueror had used. Ri was pointing it at a woman with auburn-colored tresses. The light brown-eyed woman withdrew her sword and squared off.

The scenery dissolved into another, where in the same room, the younger-looking Conqueror was reaching out her hand to the back of the short-haired Ri. The petite blonde quickly took out the circular disc and threw it at the Conqueror. The Lord of the Realm's reflexes instinctively made her duck the projectile. It missed her head and became embedded into the wooden walls.

Before the Conqueror knew it, Ri was running towards her with anomalous twin daggers that had three prongs ready to advance. The Conqueror unleashed her blade too, and the three weapons collided. The scene was sporadic, skipping from one point to another in an unusual sequence with the dark warrior and the blonde-haired fighter battling each other.

It ended once the Conqueror shoved Ri up against the wall, their faces mere inches from one another before becoming an erotic scenario. The two of them were now lying naked on a cot. Ri was on top of the beautiful Conqueror, rubbing her sex onto her Lord's thigh. The Conqueror raised up and began to tongue the short-haired woman's pinkish pale nipples. Licking them lavishly, then biting them gently, beforehand of drawing both into her mouth, sucking roughly.

Ri's head fell back in ecstasy, her hands clutching the dark mane of the strong ruler beneath her. The Conqueror reversed their positions with her now on top. Wrapping the smaller woman's legs around her waist, she gyrated their drenched vaginas together, bringing exquisite pleasure to both of them. A person didn't have to hear anything to know that the Conqueror and Ri were in bliss; their facial expressions conveyed as much. The two women's mouths connected in a seared kiss whilst their sheen-coated bodies continued to grind as one.

Ri became roused from slumber with a jolt while her upper frame lifted from the bed. "Gods!"

She laid back down and petite hands wiped the perspiration off her neck, stopping to play with the jade pendent.

'Strange.' Ri cogitated, gazing at the gemstone that glowed brightly, amazed by it, even when it dimmed down to its original tone. 'Wow. Milady sure knows how to give a gift.'

Putting the wonderment of her necklace aside, her dream was, nonetheless, bizarre. She hadn't ever seen the Conqueror fight or train on the practice field, nor anyone else for that matter. Yet, she was able to have a vivid, mental picture about it in detail as her Lord mopped the deck with all that dared to battle her. The Conqueror was handsome in her older age, but she was magnificent young.

Ri recalled her own mien with cropped hair and felt it was a beautiful look, but dismissed the idea because the Conqueror would hate what it symbolized. Slaves cut their hair in submission to their masters and, although she would be any type of servant to her Lord, Ri couldn't wear her hair in that style to promote bondage.

She was slightly uncomfortable with the scene of her threatening that brownish redhead woman with an unique looking sword she'd never seen before, and strongly disliked the notion of raising a weapon or anything that could harm the Conqueror.

Hypnos could've kept that, however, the storyteller enjoyed the part when she and the Conqueror was making love. Ri hadn't fathom she could conjure up something so salacious, but it was worth more than gold. The only lewd thoughts she had were tame in comparison; a chaste kiss here, confessing absolute, undying love there. Nothing to that degree of sexual relations. Ri wondered if, or better yet, when her and the Conqueror made love, would it be to the extent she had dreamed. Perhaps, greater. Gods forbid, less.

Ri started to think about the sex fantasy more. The way her Lord devoured her breasts, which appeared bigger in the dream, then rolling them over with the Conqueror atop her, rubbing their bodies together. Ri imagined how that would really feel when she felt wetness flow between her legs. She haven't ever masturbated before because her rumination could not conjure up any visuals to use as a outlet to entice, but right now, she was beyond horny. Ri's right hand leisurely travelled to the source of her sexual discomfort. Touching herself tentatively, she became intrigued with the sticky, hot liquid she'd discovered.

Closing her eyes, she coated her fingers in it, moving to her harden nub. The instant she made contact with the engorged flesh, a low moan emitted from her. She continued to caress it, bringing forth fulfillment and more erotic sounds while she visualized the Conqueror taking her the way she did in the dream.

The strawberry blonde began feeling a fire growing in her loins, having an idea for what it was her body wanted.

Release.

With her fingers working in tandem, Ri was close as her moans grew louder. Instantly, a desire filled her mind to go inside herself. Finding the strength to postpone her orgasm, Ri placed one digit at the opening of her virginal vagina, slowly entering it. She found pain mixed with pleasure, and as she pushed deeper, the pain increased, so she halted the action to deflower herself.

She was indecisive whether to continue her masturbation or not, and chose to stop. 'Milady will be the first to have my maidenhood. Also, the first to give me pleasure.'

Opening her aqua irises, Ri saw Helios peeking over the horizon out her window. Rising from the bed, Ri's arms reached upwards in a wonderful morning stretch. Little toes made their way to her table where a clear bowl containing water was sitting on top of it. After cleansing her face and hands, Ri sat down, picking up her comb to straighten her half-curled, half-matted locks. Whilst working out the tangles, the memory of her dream was still fresh in her head, from the alpha to the omega, particularly the conclusion, coaxing lust to surged its course throughout her body again. Ri had to see the Conqueror before she set out on her mission.

'One more kiss from her will hopefully calm my libido. Or incite it.' Ri mused, considering an amatory thought, 'Maybe, I'll give my virginity to her so she'll be well sated for her journey.'

Combing her hair with a lascivious smile, Ri rushed the finishing touches. Standing up, she was ready to surprise her Lord after taking care of her morning calling.

{C&R}

Meleager was resting on the sable divan in his temporary chambers. Akemi had just left to bring him breakfast when a soft knock was heard on the antechamber door.

"Unless you are the Chambermaid, come back later." He tiredly called out.

"Uncle Meleager? Uncle Meleager, it's Ri!"

The Chancellor of the Realm got off of the couch and opened the door. "Ri. Get in here, girl."

The older man pulled her into a warming embrace, which was returned with equal esteem.

"What are you doing here? I was told you were to focus on your studies."

"I am. I came by to see our Lord. Word was, you were on vacation. What are you doing here?" Ri asked, ending the hug and shutting the door.

"I arrived back in Greece yesterday." Meleager answered, gesturing for them both to sit down. "The Conqueror mentioned you had accompanied her to Minerva's temple. She didn't relay my greeting to you?"

Ri acceded the invite. "No, she haven't."

"Well, she is preoccupied with other matters." Meleager said, gazing at the attire Ri wore. "By King Jupiter. Why are you only wearing your night shift and nothing on your feet?"

In her haste to visit the Conqueror, she hadn't bothered to get fully dressed. "I needed to speak with Milady. It's an urgent concern."

"Is everything alright? It wouldn't have anything to do with your travel plans to Athens?" Meleager grew worried.

Ri became perplexed. "You know of that?"

"The Conqueror passed the knowledge onto me not too long ago. She instructed me to make sure you get there."

Meleager relaxed. "Don't scare me like that. You had me thinking it was a huge problem."

"No problems. Actually, I'm looking forward to Athens now."

The Chancellor smiled. "I'm almost envious. You're going to be learning from Aristotle. The Conqueror surely set you on a marvelous path to success."

"I am forever grateful for our Lord's generosity." Ri got eager. "Uncle, where is she? Is she in the bedchamber?"

"You've just missed her. The Conqueror departed the castle a quarter candle-mark before you came." Meleager replied.

The long-haired woman felt dejected. "I didn't get a chance to say good-bye."

"Don't be sad, Ri. She'll be back soon."

She nodded in understanding while her small fingers twirled the pendent that was around her neck, drawing Meleager's attention to it.

"Hey, that looks exactly like the same pendent Prince Lyceus had. I'm glad he'd taken my advice and got a new chain because the old one was rusty pass repair." His expression was happy. "He told me it was a gift from a citizen at the Agora for the Conqueror. I should've known he was giving it to someone he liked. I didn't expect it to be you."

"This isn't a present from the Prince. It is a symbolic promise Milady has chosen to grace upon me." Ri corrected.

"The Conqueror gave that to you?"

"Yes."

The Chancellor of the Realm examined the jewelry with a keen eye. "I thought the necklace was silver, but now I can see it's made from platinum orbs."

"Platinum?" Ri questioned, fingering the sparkling ornament.

"You are wearing an accessory worth two thousand dinars, and that's not including the gemstone."

'Two thousand?' Ri was flabbergasted.

At Ri's consternation, Meleager begun prying, "The Conqueror is more than altruistic to grant a gift like that. As far as I know, the platinum orbs has only been used for a couple of things; that happens to be building materials and minor weapon crafting."

"Like the altar in Minerva's temple." Ri asserted, remembering the similar gleam.

"Yes, yes. So, if you do not mind an old man asking, the symbol that's around your neck, is it the reason you are here in our Lord's chambers, donned in only a night gown?" Meleager inquired.

Ri deliberated the best way to answer. 'I can't tell him I came with obscene intent.'

Sex was distant from her mind now. She didn't want to lie to her surrogate uncle, but wasn't positive she could avow the truth because honestly, she was uncertain what direction her and the Conqueror were going in.

An impish grin formed on her rosy lips. "Let's try a game shall we, Uncle Meleager? Like we use to when we were younger."

"The question game?" The Chancellor's face matched hers. "Alright. It's been so long, remind me of the rules?"

"We only get three queries, but you have to be careful with specifics because the answer could be simple and not fully revealing of what you are inquiring about. For example; I could ask what are you doing today? Although we both know you'll have a busy day to an extent, you can simply say you're doing nothing, which wouldn't be a lie 'cause you will have moments in your day to do just that." Ri's nose crinkled. "Deal on the rules?"

Meleager loved his self-proclaimed niece. She always created fun, silly games for them to indulge. He knew this was a conception to deprive him of information like when she was a child, but unlike then, he was determined to win this one.

"I remember now. Deal." He consented. "But I get to go first."

"Fine by me." She responded, anticipating his inquiry.

"What is the promise our Lord Conqueror-"

"Chancellor Meleager." Akemi cut him off unknowingly, entering the antechamber.

She began walking towards them, carrying a tray of food and a scroll.

Placing the breakfast platter on the table, she apologized, "Pardon my interruption. I didn't know you had a guest. Good morning, Ri."

"Morning, Akemi." Ri greeted back to the hair-braided Japian servant.

The Chambermaid handed over the scroll to Meleager. "This came for you."

Recognizing the seal to be from Macedonia, the Chancellor rose off of the divan.

"Excuse me." Meleager justified himself, taking another seat at the Conqueror's desk to read the contents of the parchment.

Akemi was about to dismiss herself until she caught a glimpse of the jewelry around Ri's neck. "Qoutis made that necklace for the Conqueror. How did you come to have it?"

Ri's hands self-consciously touched the item of interest. "Milady gave it to me yesterday evening."